Knitting machine



I 2 Sheets--Sheet 1. i J. HOWE;

KNITTING MAGHINE.

No. 100,705. Patented Mar. 15, 1870.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. M. HOWE. KNITTING MACHINE.

N,0.Y100 ,765. Patented Mar. 15, 1870.

I c i THE Momma PETERS cu. PHoro-umou WASNKNGTON, 0 cv pair-ti @jijiinr.

JOHN M. Hows, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 100,765, dated March 15, 1870.

movement'- In sans.

' The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the name.

To all whom it nmy concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN M. Hows, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented certain newand usefulImprovements in Knitting-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my inventiom Figure 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the lockplate B.

Figure 3 is a similar view of a portion of the lockplate and adjacent parts.

higulre 4'is a sectional elevation at the dotted line as, g. I

Figure 5 is a reverse view of one of the lock-plates.

Figure 6 is atransverse section of a look-plate at the dotted line 3 fig. '5.

Figure 7 is afaee view ofi a portion of-the take up F.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one forin'of division-'ribjl- My invention relates tot-hat class of knitting-ma.- chines having two parallel rows of needles;.aud its nature will be understood by reference to the specification and drawings. I

To enable others to make andnsc my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

The skeleton bed A, which supports the main portions of my machine, is composed of the supportingribs 0 and the parallel gnides or ways (I, connected together by suitable transverse bars.

The needle-bed, short sections 7) of which are shown in figs. 1 and 4, is made detachable from the bed A, either wholly or in sections, and is composed of division-ribs, f, hingedfat their upper ends to iheirods h,

and resting at their lower ends upon the ledges provided upon the ways d.

The relative posi -'on of the rods h and ways d is such that the needle-bed has the proper inclination.

By means of the detachable-plate h, secured-over the ends of rods h, the latter may be removed from the bed A, whereby the needle-bed or any section of it may be readily taken out for renewal or repairs.

The heads 1 of the division-ribs rest upon the concave face of the supporting ribs '0, and are so formed as to act as loop'jacks, thus dispensing with the costly and troublesome jack-wires formerly in use. 7 When the. division-ribs f are made separate from one another, 1 construct them as shown in fig. 8, havlng a flange, f, upon the lower edge tc'support the needle, and a stud, g, to retain the lattenin place. It may, however, be found advantageous to secure the ribs to bucking-plates b, extending either entirely across the machine or made in several short sections. In this.

use sufficient space is left between the division-ribs (which are made fiat) for the needles to work easily, and the pin g passes through all the ribs in the section.

The advantages of this style of needle-bed are: That- 'thenecdles may be quickly removed by lifting a. section, as shown in dotted lines upon the right of fig. 4,

and drawiugout the retaining-pin g and also thatv any worn or broken portion may be readily replaced by withdrawing the reds h. The pins 9 are much cheaper and more convenient than the gibs commonly used in this class of machines;

The hollow arch O is made with-and connects togetherrthe lock-plates B B. By this means I avoid along and cumbersome sliding flame connected by ribs at the ends, and also provide a means of support ing some of theworkingparts of the machine.

I secure the alternate adjustment of the v cams e and 1'. of the locks by means of the curved bar 0',

hinged at its extremities to these cams, as shown in fig. e, and withinor upunthe arch C, ator near its center, upon a stud, m, working in a suitable horizontal slot in said bar. One end of the bar 0' extends through an opening in the arch, and enters the slot of the reciprocating cam. D, figs. 1,2, and 4. This cam is secured to the sliding frame B B by screws 0, passing through slots, as shown, whereby it is allowed a slight reciprocation independent of the sliding frame.

The pitman P is pivoted to the cam D, and is actuated by the crank it, the stroke of which must be equal to that of the cam and sliding frame together. The revolutions of the crank it thus alternately elevate and depress the V -cams by means of the cam D and adjusting-arm 0', as indicated by dotted lines in fig. 4, previously to the movement of the sliding frame, whereby said cams are caused to engage with the shanksof the needles upon alternate sides of the machines at each reciprocation.

The reciprocation of the cam D may'beprevcnted .when desired by inserting the stop c, fig. 1, in an opening provided in the lock-plate, and so located as to rob rain the camat either extremity of its stroke, as indicated by dotted lines. By this means either V-cam may be operated continuously, for the purpose of knitting a flat web on either side. The movement of the cam I) mayalso be stopped by tightening the screws 0. The V-cams swing upon T-shaped fulcra, e, figs. 4 and 5, resting in suitable recesses formed in the lockplates, and retained in place by the Wing cams 'n, which lap over the projections thereon, as shown in fig. 5. This is a very cheap and simple arrangement, dispensing with a number of parts usually required in, looks of this class.

The stud m, fig. 4, passes through a vertical slot in the arch O, and is fixed to the short arm of the bellcrank l, pivoted at thepointa to the arch. The long arm of the bell-crank is provided with 8 stop, T, which .pin, t, fixed to the lock-plate.

' enters recesses uin the side of the arch. By this the needles upon both sides, the cam D being stationary, as in the first instance. The object of this latter is to allow the operator to remove the sliding frame in case of breakage or disarrangement of the parts, when, in the central partof its stroke, without interfering with the work. After the repairs are made, the sliding frame canbe returned exactly to its former position, the V-cams lowered by means of the bell-crank Z, and the work proceeded with. By this adjustment, also, the work may be left upon the needles when the operator is absent, without any liability of its being disarrang'ed by other persons.

The ends of the V-cams are provided with suitablyrounded projections, i, fig. 5, the working edge of which, at the point where the needle-shanks leave them, is somewhat above the base of the ram. The effect of this arrangement is to give the needles a slight advance movement as they leave the protections, and they remain in such a position upon the bed that they cannot slip by orstrike the point of the cam upon'the return stroke.

When the machine is run at the ordinary speed, the needles are, in fact, projected considerably above the line of the projections t, as shown by dotted lines in ii 5.

The adjustment of the tightness of the stitch is obtained by means of the wing-cams 1'1, pivoted at their outer ends to the lock-plates, and adjustable at their inner'ends by means of the set-screw and nut n. To enable the operator to make the tension alike upon all the wing-cams, I pivot upon the set-screw n the indexfinger r, figs. 1, 5, and 6,'moving over a graduated are upon the lock-plate, as shown in figol. A cam-slot, 'r, is formed upon the index-finger, working upon a The set-screw it moves in a curved slot in the latthr, and by loosening the setnut, and turning the index-finger to the required point, 'the cam '1 raises or lowers the wing-cam correspondingly.

In' this class of knitting-machines it is necessarythat the slack yarn be drawn up at the beginning of each stroke of the sliding frame, to prevent its becoming entangled by the action of the, needles. For this purpose I provide the take-up 1i, figs. 1, 3, 4, and 7, pivoted to the lock-plate B, and carrying at its upper extremity the automatic fingers 1). These fingers are pivoted at s to the sliding plate .9, connected by a rod, 1, to a crank-arm, a, rocking upon the same center as the lower end of the take-up F.

The fingers p are. provided with diagonal slots, a, fig. 6, near the base, working upon a stud, z, fixed to the arm F. It will be seen that as the sliding plate 3 is drawn down by the crank-arm a, the fingers 1), turning freely upon the pivots, are closed upon the yarn as it passes through an opening in the-arch C to the needles, by means of the diagonal slots a and fixed pin 2, and that if the motion of the arm a continues after the fingers are cl0sed,.the take-up will be forced over to the position shown in dotted lines, fig. 4, takrug up the slack of the yarn with it.

The crank-arm a is actuated by a vertical slide, H, and fixed inclined planes J, secured either to the table T ort-he bed of the machine. A notch near the lower end of the slide H runs upon one edge of the inclines 'tice the take-up B does not retain the vertical position shown in dotted lines, but its momentum will throw it considerably back-of such line.

It is eridcntthat since the crank-arm a retains a fixed position during the central portion of the stroke of the sliding frame, and, consequently, the distance between the slide 3 and the outer extremity of said arm would become less as the take-up fell back of a perpendicular, the slide 3 is forced up by the rod 1: and the fingers opened, thereby releasing the yarn, if not previously drawn out by the needles.

For convenience and certainty in operating the maclrine, I provide upon the table T a counting device, shown in fig. 1. The sliding index-finger N, provided. with a suitable nut, is actuated by the threaded rod 0, driven by gears from the crank-shaft K. The nut on the index-linger is open at the bottom, whereby it may be removed and adjusted to any desired point. A scale is laid ofl upon the table T parallel with the screw 0, and corresponding to its pitch. The index thus shows the number of reciprocatious of the machine, aud, consequently, the number of rounds knit.

Where it is desired to knit much work of the same form and size, pegsu'arc inserted in holes provided in the table, (or in a separate bar,) at the division-lines,

and arc'located at such points as to indicate the changes 'to he made in the needles.

- To assist the operator in the formation of stockings and similar irregnlarwork, a plate or paper pattern, I, made in adjustable sections, for convenience, and graduated upon one edge similarly to the scale upon the table, is placed parallel and adjacent to the rod 0. The foot section may be made in two parts, the numbers upon them increasing toward the outerend. When a short foot is wanted, the sections are either shut together, as shown in full lines, or the index set at as high a number as is needed, and the work begun at that point. The size of the heel and leg is similarly indicated, except that the numbers upon the latter pattern increase in the opposite direction-that is,

from the heel toward the outer end. Spaces in the pattern or numbers may be skipped by adjusting the index-pointerN.

The sliding frame B B rests upon the bed A at the lower edges, and runs upon the ways 11. The gibs T are attached by screws to the outer edges of the sliding frame, and look under the inclined sides of the ways d, as shown in fig. 4. These gibs retain the sliding frame in its place, and possess the advantage of being adjusted when worn, as well as of cheapncss in construction. If desirable, a slight packing may be put under them, which can be removed as they wear away.

It maybe found necessary to attach a-spirel-spring to the takeup F, in such a manner that it will operate to throw the latter over after passing the perpendicular in either direction.

It may be desirable to incline the plate J at other points that at its extremities, for the purpose'ofoperating the tak'e-up at various parts of the stroke.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The skeleton bed A, constructed as shown and described, provided with the central supporting-ribs c and ways d at its lower edges, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The hinged division-ribs j, arranged either separately or in sets, and their ripper ends acting as loopjacks, substantially-as herein setforth.

' poses set forth.

5; The combination with the two parallel rows-0t needles of the single hollow arch Q, the lock-plates B andXBQand the curved adjusting-hero,- substantially 'a'ss'e't forth.

6. The reciprocating cam D, when actuated directly or indirectly by the crank it, in combination with the usting-bar O, substantially as and forthe purposesset forth.

7. The curved adjusting-bar C', suspended within or upon the arch, in combination with the V-ca s e and i, operatiugsubstantially as shown and 8. The reciprocating cam D, in combination with the adjusting-bar 0', operating substantially as set forth.

"9. The reciprocating cam D, when provided with a suitable locking-stop, c, substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth. I v

10. The automatictake-up fingers p, actuated by the fixed pin z. in the swinging arm F, and the diagm nal slots at the base of the said fingers, in combination -tion with the curved adjusting-bar 0', for the purposes set forth.

- 14; The hinged yarn take-up F,, provided with automatic fingers p, in combination with the sliding frame B B, the whole operating substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

15. In combination with the fixed inclines J, the actuating-slideH and take-up apparatus, all operating substantially as described.

16. The crank-arm a and actuating-slide bination with the sliding-plate s,-the fingers p p, and

.the hinged take-up F, arranged and operatingsnb stantially as set forth. 7

. t J. M. HOWE. Witnesses:

F. H. CLEMENT, WM. S. Lonennonouen. 

